Back to Black
by CherryJay8
Summary: Collab with: LeonardoTheLeader - After the Tournament of the Elements, the Ninja began working away at Sensei Wu's tea shop... Till a new chapter of their lives opened up... But it soon changes one Ninja's point of view.
1. Chapter 1

**Back to Black: Chapter 1**

The ninjas have been sick and tired of working at the new tea shop that belonged to no one else but the one and only Sensei Wu. They just wanted to be in action again but there was nothing to defeat or no threat to bother Ninjago City as usual.

Everyone worked at the tea shop in the funky suit with the teapot on their heads. The ninja didn't understand why Sensei Wu picked the outfit but it fit the tea shop.

Lloyd, however, was still moping about his father's sacrifice to save Ninjago, but it was for the greater good. Sensei Garmadon did great thing, a great thing for everybody by sacrificing his life to save others. He always thought of others before him, and did what others would fear.

Lloyd understood that his dad did a noble thing but he also blamed himself – he thought he could've stopped it, he could've prevented, and it could've been him! These are the thoughts that haunted everybody; Lloyd was taking the blame for his death. Not only that but Lloyd was lonely, he needed his dad there for him and to take care of him, he couldn't have Misako take care of him alone.

"Hey, Lloyd," a small voice spoke up from behind him. The stranger set a hand on Lloyd's shoulder then said, "We know how much you miss your dad, but right now, Sensei Wu needs your help." Lloyd began to laugh, was this supposed to cheer him up? "Come on!"

The green ninja followed his brown haired friend to find Sensei Wu. Jay laughed with Lloyd and held his teapot hat tight. "Man these things suck! Don't tell Sensei Wu I said that!" He yelled at Lloyd and began to run faster.

Suddenly, Kai stepped out from one of the doors and cried out to the blue ninja, "Jay!"

Jay kept holding the hat. "Can't stay to chat, gotta run! Byeee!" He yelled to Kai and heard a loud bang coming from Kai's work place. He heard Kai groan: "Zane!" Jay could also hear Lloyd speeding up. He began to speed up his pace and took a sharp turn to the left. "Sensei Wu!" Just then, He fell forward as Lloyd fell on top of him.

Jay and Lloyd laughed harder until they ran out of it. "I…. cheered… hi – m… u… up!" Jay choked out and slammed the teapot hat against the floor. He sighed heavily and nudged on Lloyd, trying to get up.

"Thanks, Jay… I feel much better," Lloyd said with sarcasm and helped him up. "So did you really need my help on something?" He asked Sensei Wu. The old man replied by bringing Nya forward.

"Actually, we need all of you," Nya stated clearer and told Jay to gather the rest. "Dust was spotted in Birch Forest. Can you stop him?"

Once everyone else was in the room, Cole made a fist and punched it into his other palm. "You know it. It's time that crazed man gets some pay back!" Kai rolled his eyes and hugged Lloyd's neck, not too tight.

"You'll be fine, buddy," he whispered in Lloyd's ear, causing Lloyd to gaze down to the floor.

"That's what everyone has been telling me." Lloyd mumbled and Kai sighed in response. Kai let Lloyd go and the fire ninja walked to Cole.

"Don't you know what Dust is capable of? I mean you should know." Kai said and flicked Cole's forehead. "We are going to need a real good, full proof, plan if we want to get past him."

"Alright, so we know he wants to mess with our heads right?" Cole stated and everyone nodded but Lloyd and Jay.

"But I thought it was _you_ he wanted?" Jay gestured with his right hand flat like he was holding something.

Cole's pupils shrank, "But…" Cole hesitated, "He's Dust, and we never know what he's up to. We can't assume anything other than the fact he wants to take Ninjago as his."

Jay nodded and Lloyd rubbed his foot against the surface under him. "Something wrong Lloyd?" Kai asked and Lloyd looked up slightly.

"Of course something is wrong you idiot!" Jay whispered screamed at Kai and elbowed him in the stomach.

"I know but maybe talking about is better for him!" Kai whispered.

"Ohhhhhh!" Jay brought the corners of his mouth up. Lloyd looked from Jay and Kai.

"So Lloyd, would like to tell us?" Zane finally spoke and Lloyd looked up all the way.

"It's just…" Lloyd stopped and he began to shake. Trembling, he pulled away and left them. No one said a single word after that.

Kai interrupted the silence and turned to face his sister. "We all know he just doesn't feel whole without his dad, but right now, we have a mission; get ready, boys, it's time for another battle…"

Dust was grinning. He was having fun with all this chaos, and soon, he would have even more fun. Soon, the ninja would arrive just as he was expecting them… that was when the real game began. Four wooden dolls immediately formed in Dust's and he gazed down upon them.

One by one, he crushed them, wood shavings of different colors falling down at his feet. He laughed menacingly. "Fun, fun, fun," he chanted.

"Stop right there, Dust!" Kai yelled at the sorcerer.

Suddenly, Cole felt his stomach twist. He quickly elbowed Kai, and then said: "You sure this is a good idea. Dust looks happy to see us here, plus, we don't even know how to stop this guy."

Kai arched a brow. Cole was entirely right. "But, didn't you banish him?"

"That was because I gave him powers, my dear fire ninja," Dust cooed and waited patiently for their attack. "If, you remember…" Kai growled at him, his eyes flashing with anger. Dust laughed, and then reappeared behind the Ninja. "You four made a big mistake coming here," his eyes searched the crowd. "Wherever is Lloyd?"

"He's not here! And don't you dare bother him!" Kai yelled and charged at the sorcerer with his katana. Dust disappeared into a cloud of smoke and reappeared on the other side. Jay whipped out his nun chucks and took his turn, aiming them right at Dust's forehead. The sorcerer grinned wide, baring his teeth, and turned his hand. The nun chucks flipped around, hitting Jay's head instead.

"Jay!" Cole cried out and took out his scythe, and Kai ran back to Dust. He slashed his katana at the sorcerer to have the katana freeze. Dust smirked and smacked his fist on the side of the blade. The blade shaded to hundreds of pieces. Cole felt uneasy and stood holding his scythe.

Zane brought out a shurikane and aimed for Dust. He laughed and disappeared into dark clouds of smoke. Dust appeared behind Zane with a cloud of purple smoke and kicked Zane in the back. Zane toppled over and quickly crawled out of Dust's reached.

Cole raised his scythe and drew his brows in. He then stopped mid tracks; right in front of Dust. "I can't…" he said softly and began to back up.

Kai only stared at Cole in shock. "Cole! Go after him!" the Black Ninja shook his head.

"I can't…" he said again, still backing up. Dust watched as Cole kept walking. There was nothing to stop him, nothing to prevent him from backing away. Zane noticed Dust's evil look and looked over to Cole. That was when he noticed why Dust was smiling.

He tried to throw shurikanes, but instead, Cole tripped over them. "Cole!" Zane yelled at his friend. At the same time, Dust twisted his hand causing Cole's arm to twist; the Black Ninja grabbed the scythe and fell backwards… off the cliff.

"Cole!" Everyone but Dust screamed and hustled over to the edge.

"He can't face me anymore!" Dust burst into laughter. "Now that that's taken care of…" and he disappeared.

Kai stared in shock. The fall was a long drop. "Zane, what happened?" He shook his nindroid friend hard until his eyes began to water.

"Cole couldn't face Dust… he kept backing up until…" his voice trailed off and they all looked down to where their friend had fallen. "Do you think…"

Jay's lower lip trembled with fear. "He can't! Right? Plus, that was the stupidest thing ever!" Suddenly, Jay felt nocuous. "We have to go down there!" He waited for a long silence to hear anything from their fallen friend; but no response came.

"Jay, Cole's gone…" Kai told him.

The Blue Ninja's mouth dropped open… "I must be dreaming. WAKE ME UP! WAKE. ME. UP!" He yelled into Kai's face, panting heavily. Jay ran his fingers through his hair then pulled on it hard. "Wake… me… up!" he cried louder, then fell to the ground, breathing harder.

"Jay, stop!" Zane told Jay, but Jay didn't stop. Zane looked at Kai in worry. Jay kept rolling around; his nun chucks flying all over the place. The bump on Jay's forehead made it look even weirder, but Jay did it anyways. "We have to go back," Zane said to Kai. Together, they carried Jay over their shoulders, through the forest and back to the tea shop.

Sensei Wu was the first to greet them. He noticed Jay first, and then realized that Cole was missing. So, Kai and Zane told him and Lloyd all about it – how Cole was too afraid of Dust, how he backed up too far, how Jay began to _cry_. Misako offered to take Jay into a room.

"I am sorry you had to go through that, my students. It is a truly tragic event." Sensei Wu said and Kai and Zane dropped their heads. Lloyd felt even worse; first his father now Cole.

"So what do we do now?" Lloyd said in an almost whisper; Kai turned his head to Lloyd but kept it down.

"I don't know…" Kai said slowly, palms shaking.

* * *

 **So, I started a collab with LeonardoTheLeader! Yay!**

 **This story takes place after the Tournament of the Elements and I think she said before Morro comes... so just pretend he never came until later. Dust is my OC and he will very likely be in many of my FFs or the FFs I participate in.**

 **Thanks for reading and...**

 **R &R**


	2. Chapter 2

**Back to Black: Chapter 2**

* * *

Cole groaned and rubbed his forehead. That was quite a fall, but luckily, there was a patch of trees sitting at the foot of the cliff. However, it didn't break his fall entirely. His arm was twisted, his back was aching, and his legs felt numb – they must've fallen asleep the way down – and his head was throbbing with pain. He felt the slightest bit dizzy.

Climbing down the tree the best he could, Cole realized his scythe was missing. Suddenly, he lost grip and fell, his back hitting the ground, making it hurt even worse.

Cole sat up, cringing as a strip of pain shot straight through him. He managed to stand and then walked as far as he could. Then, he caught a glimpse of his scythe, sitting just a few feet away from him. Moving his feet, Cole reached out and picked it up, staring at his reflection – his face wasn't too badly jacked up.

Hobbling over to a rock, Cole leaned against it and groaned, sliding down, letting the scythe slip from his hand. His arm hurt like crazy. Where was his team? Had they left him down here? Then again… - his thoughts were interrupted by a loud humming coming from the area.

He waited until the stranger stepped into view. He was carrying a basket, full of apples; and, surprisingly, the trees were filled with them. Cole arched a brow.

"Oh, Cole! I didn't see you there!" Dust pretended to laugh and observed the Black Ninja. "Why so ever are you down here?" He managed a smile.

Cole didn't know whether to answer or not. This guy looked happy to see him, and that wasn't a good sign. "I… don't know, I thought my team would come for me. But I guess not." Dust pursed his lips and snapped his fingers – the basket disappeared and Cole's face was fixed up; so was his arm, legs, and back.

"Well, they must've abandoned you. What other reason is there?"

"They could've thought I was dead –"

Dust shushed Cole and pointed up above them from where he fell. "Why, the fall wasn't even that much." Cole looked intensely at where he had fallen. It wasn't that high up from the ground. He ran his fingers through his hair.

"I swear…"

 _"_ _You should never swear, it's a sign of weak verbal skills_ ," Cole heard Jay's voice say. He looked at Dust who held a tape recorder. Odd.

"How did you get that?"

Dust grinned. "I have my ways…" he wrapped an arm around Cole and snapped his fingers, the scythe levitating off the ground and trailing behind them. "They just left you, Cole! Don't you feel… negativity to them?" Cole squinted. Then, he realized what Dust was trying to do to him.

"Get away from me!" he snapped and backed up, snatching his scythe from the air. Dust was trying to mess with his head, but it wasn't going to work this time… at least, that's what he thought.

"It's all true, Cole. I was there." Dust caught up to him and grinned evilly at the Black Ninja. "I saw everything," Dust's eyes flashed bright, "They didn't need you anymore… its. Over." He whispered in Cole's ear. The Black Ninja shut his eyes.

 _Just block him out_ , he thought.

Then again, Dust could be right.

"Oh, give me a break, Cole! You know I'm right!" Cole opened his eyes as they flashed the same shade of purple as Dust's. "That's it… you hate them, don't you?"

"They just left me here, not even bothering to check to see if I was still alive!" he began to fume with anger, "What kind of team does that?" He gritted his teeth and swiped his scythe in front of him. "Revenge… yeah, that's just the thing I'll do…"

Dust's grin widened. Finally, he had tapped into Cole's mind. Now all he needed to do was get the others; soon, tearing apart the team would be easy as cake… and there would be nothing to stop him.

* * *

The guys sat around the bounty crying, groaning or punching something. Jay was in the shared bedroom face down crying in his bed. Lloyd was at the bridge groaning like a zombie. Zane leaned against a rail staring down at the same scene for the Bounty wasn't moving. Kai was pulverizing a punching bag throwing thoughts at himself to be better next time.

Sensei Wu was still at the tea shop he owned and decided to give the team a break. They were missing a team leader after all. Sensei Wu sighed and closed the tea shop. He had to be there for the ninja now.

When Sensei Wu came aboard the fire ninja stopped punching looked to him. Kai sighed and leaned his head on the bag of sand. The sand bag leaned from his weight but didn't drop Kai.

"You four should not dwell on the past. Work for the future. Who would like to look for the body?" Kai looked to his Sensei Wu and raised his hand not above his head.

"I would like to join in." Zane said turned to face his Sensei. Lloyd came down to the fire and ice ninja and Sensei.

"I'm in." Lloyd smiled not showing teeth and the others returned a smile.

"I will go ask Jay." Kai said and started to walk off. When he pasted Lloyd and patted his shoulder. Kai walked down the hallway and heard no crying. Kai opened the door and saw Jay lying on his bunk face down. "Jay?"

Jay sat up and his face was red. "W-what?" Jay stuttered and Kai walked into the room more. Kai

"We are going to find the body. Would like to join us?" Kai asked and Jay rubbed his hands against his face.

"I'll think about it." Jay whispered and Kai nodded. Kai didn't move his spot.

"Do you need anything?" Kai questioned and Jay got up from his bed.

"Some time to think." Jay commented and Kai walked out. Kai went back on deck and see the three looking at him.

"So is he coming?" Lloyd asked and Kai shrugged.

"He said he will think about it." Kai said and looked to his Sensei.

* * *

 **Well... here's chapter 2! I actually just decided to update today because... I don't know. I worked on the first half and Leo did the second half. Hope you enjoyed it and just a note: apparently, the skreemers can actually sit over their heads in the sets. I actually saw an image of the back of Master Wu Dragon set showing to put the skreemer on Cole's head. Yaaa...**

 **R &R**


	3. Chapter 3

**Back to Black: Chapter 3**

* * *

While everyone was on the deck of the Bounty Nya was up on the bridge stirring the Bounty to the Birch Forest. The Ice and Fire Ninja, Spinjitzu Master and Sensei there thinking of what way to get to the bottom of the drop. Jay slowly walked on deck with red eyes and Zane turned to Jay.

"Looks like Jay is in." Zane said and the others turned to Jay.

"Sorry, I was... " Jay froze and thought. "Trying to clean my ninja gi from snow."

"All our ninja gi's were fine when we got on the Bounty." Lloyd said and everyone except Sensei Wu and Jay smiled.

"Hey it's fine Jay we know you were crying." Kai said and patted Jay's back. Jay looked down at the ground.

Jay smiled softly, "I feel like a little kid when I cry; especially when everyone else around you is tough about it."

"Jay I am pretty sure each one of us cried just not making it obvious." Kai assured. Zane was about to say something but Lloyd elbowed him.

"Let's head down to the bottom of that cliff now," he said and led the way. The others followed, Jay walking beside Kai, and Zane behind him. "Nya, what's the plan?"

Nya smirked, "Well, we've decided – Sensei Wu and I – that you guys are taking the quick way down."

The Ninja all exchanged worried looks.

 **(A few minutes later)**

"Oh, no," Kai groaned, gripping the anchor tight. "Sis…"

"You boys better prepare yourselves, you won't know when I'll pull the trigger," she called out to them and steadied her hand against it.

Jay let out a small laugh. "Remember the time when we did the exact same thing at Darkley's… Lloyd you were so young back then!"

However, no one was listening, they were holding on with all their might – waiting for Nya to cut loose.

"We made a promise never - AHHHHHHHH!" Jay screamed at the top of his lungs as the anchor dropped at full speed. His legs drifted high above his head and he screamed louder. "Kai! When I die, tell my story!"

"Jay, shut up!" both Kai and Lloyd yelled at him.

"WHAT? ARE YOU GOING TO DIE TOO?" Jay screamed louder in Kai's face.

The screaming kept going on until the anchor hit the ground hard; the Ninja falling off and breathing hard on their backs.

Sitting up, Kai gazed around. "Uh, anyone remember where the body fell?" Jay laughed. Kai hit him on the back of his head and stood up, searching the area.

"Split up! He's gotta be around here somewhere."

Jay pushed through the thick leaves, making strange noises when he felt something in his mouth. _"Oh, we're out to find a body, we're out to find a body! Yes we're out to find a bo – deee!"_

"Jay! Would you be quiet!?" He heard Kai yell from the other side.

"What? It's not my fault I'm so bored that I needed to sing and have some fun! Okay, maybe it is…"

Lloyd shook his head and plowed through his area with Zane. "See anything yet?" Zane replied with a _no_.

"You know!" Jay began, yelling as loud as he could, "We should've helped Cole! Why'd you just let him fall off anyways? Now _that's_ stupid!"

Kai curled his fists. Then he realized Jay was right. "Too smart for you?" Jay giggled. Kai groaned and continued to sweep the zone. Where could Cole's body be? He saw him fall, but yet, his body wasn't anywhere to be found. Kai frowned. Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound behind him. Kai spun around, eyes locked on where the sound came from.

* * *

" _Oh, we're off to find a body, in the wide, wide_ \- huh? What was that?" Jay raised his brows and stumbled backwards into a bush. "Gah!" he cried and ran out, kicking the small branches and leaves off. "Who's there?"

No answer.

Jay faked a laugh and continued to walk backwards, hoping to bump into Lloyd, Zane, or Kai's back. "If you're not happy with my song, I'll take it back! Umm… _The body's alive –_ wait no _– You're a stranger, I'm a person, I'm not supposed to be talking to strangers!"_

Still walking backwards, Jay hit something. "Ahh!" he screamed, turning around and bouncing on one leg. His breathing began to control. "Lloyd! Zane!" he breathed a sigh of relief and shook Zane by the shoulders. "Something's here! I don't know what it is… but I heard it!"

Zane brushed Jay's hands off. "Let us proceed to find Kai. He could be in danger."

Jay raised a brow.

"We heard it too," Lloyd told the blue ninja and began to lead the way.

Jay rubbed the back of his neck when he realized he was at the very back of the line. "Lemme get second! Zaaane," he cocked a grin and scooted up front.

* * *

Kai's knuckles whitened. His eyes never left from the place where the sound was coming from.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he saw who stepped out. "Lloyd, don't scare me that way," he punched his shoulder playfully.

Lloyd smirked and stared at Kai. "Where's Zane?" Kai asked.

Lloyd shook his head, "I dunno, he just left me… that wasn't supposed to happen, right?" Kai raised a brow. "Have you found Cole?" Kai shook his head in reply.

"No sign of him here, where could he be?! It's not like the body just disappeared!"

"Well, we already know that nothing is normal here. Something obviously happened to Cole, maybe he's still alive, and we just didn't bother to check right away."

Kai's eyes grew big. "Yah, you could be right…"

His eyes lit up when he heard footsteps from behind him. Kai cocked a brow and turned around. "Zane? Jay?" But instead of two figures stepping out, three did. Kai stepped backwards, confusion striking him.

"L –Lloyd?"

"Kai?" Lloyd peered over his shoulder, "Is that… me?"

The Lloyd behind Kai smirked and a dark mist overtook him. When it began to fade, their eyes widened. "Dust!" Kai began to head back to Zane and Jay.

"In the flesh!"

"What are you doing here?" Lloyd snapped, stepping forth.

Dust laughed, "I was about to ask you the same."

Jay pushed through. "We're searching for Cole, dummy!"

"Oh, _him_ … didn't he _die_ already?"

"And I'm sure you know what happened to him!" Kai accused, bringing an arm back, ready for a swing.

Dust lifted his arms. "Hold on there, partner… I don't know what happened to you friend… obviously, he could've ran away _or_."

Lloyd raised a brow. " _Or_?"

"Oh, that's it… I'm not a tattle tale," he smirked.

The Ninja all exchanged worried glances.

* * *

 **5 more days until my school laptop is taken away. But, like I said, my dad promised me my own soon when he comes back - which is when the school year ends for me. Which is on the 17th! So just be patient.**

 **Remember this is a collab - LeonardoTheLeader and Pinkie Pie luvs Ninjago**

 **R &R**


	4. Chapter 4

**Back to Black: Chapter 4**

"So you four finally decided to come back for me?" A low voice chuckled. Dust arched a brow. "Is that, Cole?" Jay asked, his voice a little higher than usual.

Dust looked over to the side. "Perhaps he survived the fall?" Zane told Kai. His eyes scanned the leaves, searching for a sign of the Black Ninja.

"But - but he would've called for us," Kai fixed his eyes on Dust. "What is it with you and messing with _o_ _ur_ l ives? Especially Cole's?"

The sorcerer pursed his lips. "Well, let's see... Chaos is fun! Messing with the lives of others just pleases me enough that I enjoy doing it for the rest of my life! You see, Ninja, when you have the power to control someone, it is no doubt fun. You can make them do anything you want."

"But why Cole?"

Dust lifted his hand a small image began to take place above his palm. "Cole, the leader - the strong, brave, and very dependable... Now do you wonder why I chose him?" Dust smirked playfully.

Everyone seemed to nod. Then Jay said, "Could you probably explain it more in depth?" Kai elbowed him.

"When you have the power to control someone just like Cole, anything can happen! You can have so much more fun. Cole possesses the abilities that make him who he is, and so do you four. And when you bend that ability, or those abilities... You can do marvelous things. Cole was merely part of an experiment! Although, as I began to have more fun, it turned out rather to be not a test but an official record. I'm not _t_ _hat_ interested in using any of you four. Don't get me wrong, you're all different and special in your own ways, but Cole is more... Interesting." Kai frowned.

"Why can't you just stop messing with him? It's too much for him to handle! Remember last time when Cole broke his arm? That caused him to make the wrong decisions, Dust! He called you up and we all turned away from what we really stood for!" Lloyd hushed Kai and checked his surroundings once more. Cole was close by.

At last, the Black Ninja stepped out of the bushes and stood directly in front of Kai, scythe gripped tightly in one hand. "What has Dust done now?" Kai whispered softly and shook his head at the forest floor.

"What are you doing here?" Cole scoffed. Dust began to fade away, leaving it to just be Cole and the Ninja team.

Lloyd stepped in front of Kai. "We came back to look for you."

Cole rolled his eyes and smirked. "I bet you thought I was dead, hmm. You came here to search for my body. Well, I'm tough enough to handle a fall. You should've known better." Jay winced.

"What did Dust do to you, this time?" Lloyd asked, drawing out his sword slowly.

"He didn't do anything to me. You guys just leaving me here made me feel like a worthless part of the team! You abandoned me!" His voice grew louder causing his eyes to flash purple.

Kai gritted his teeth. "Dust got into his head again."

"How many more times until that mad man actually stops torturing us?" Jay chuckled lightly and followed Lloyd's lead, pulling out his nunchucks.

"Well, at least we know what we're up against."

Before Lloyd could make a sudden move, the earth trembled beneath him. The rocks bounced on the ground and a formation of dirt and rocks began to form, climbing up to reach his legs. Lloyd pivoted a foot back. "You guys gotta stop Cole the best you can!"

The earth clung onto his legs, holding Lloyd in place.

Cole leaned on his scythe and planned on watching things play out as he toyed with his elemental power. "Stop?" Cole chuckled, "You don't understand what it feels like to be abandoned! I'll show you what pain I went through to know my friends- no, family left me to die!"

Kai took some steps forward readying himself. Cole had one arm out and the other around the scythe. He had his hand flat and eyed Jay, tightening his hand to a fist. Jay was hit by a pillar of rock that shot out of the ground a top speeds. He flew back and knocked into a tree. Jay groaned and slid down the tree now with a bloody nose.

Kai was about to go back and help Jay but kept his ground. Zane however called to the Blue Ninja and looked back. Zane's guard was down and Cole smirked at this. Cole made a hand movement as if he was flattening out something and at that exact moment a tower of sturdy rock came in contact with Zane's head.

Zane didn't budge but turned his head to Cole. The nindroid twitched and that was about it. Zane brought his eyebrows in and gripped his shurikens. Kai and Zane made eye contact and both nodded. The two ran around Cole and Jay made his move. The lightning welder crawled to the trapped Green Ninja to not draw Cole's attention. Jay looked to his nunchucks and realized that a weapon with no sharp edge won't help much.

Lloyd looked to Jay and saw the blood, he gasped. Jay tasted the blood on his lip and wiped it away with garb. He looked at the sleeve of his garb and sighed, "Great... more work to do when we get to the Bounty."

Cole looked to Kai and turned his head left to see Zane. No one moved for awhile but while Cole looked to Zane, Kai ran and raised his katana. Cole turned just in time and blocked with his scythe. They glared at each other and both struggled to keep their stand. Zane hesitated to look away remembering what happened a minute ago. Zane thought about Jay and Lloyd, he gazed quickly and saw Jay finding a way to release Lloyd from his struggle.

Zane's eyes met with his two shurikens and his right hand turned ready to throw it. Lloyd looked up and saw Zane aiming his shurikane. Zane quickly threw his shuriken and it hit the rock on Lloyd's legs. Zane ran right when he threw it. Kai stumbled backwards from Cole and Zane threw his last shurikane as he ran around Cole. The sharp end of the weapon cut Cole's cheek and Zane realized what he did. The shurikane flew back and Zane caught it.

"Zane, you-" Cole started and grew angry. Cole was drowning in frustration, hatred, and betrayal. Kai gained his balance back and looked at Cole in shock. Zane interrupted.

"I did not wish to hurt you Cole but you were going to harm Kai." Zane said and put up his hands with one hand holding a shurikane. Cole growled and gripped his scythe till his knuckles were white.

"This just shows how much you all step over me!" Cole pounced on Zane dropping his scythe and Kai grabbed Cole shoulders. Kai pulled Cole away and Zane stepped back. Cole tried to claw at Zane but Kai pushed Cole to the snow.

Jay stopped chipping at the rock around Lloyd with Zane's shurikane and saw Cole laying in the snow. Lloyd looked at Jay, "Don't stop, Jay. I'm almost out."

"But, Cole -"

"He's not on our side anymore, keep clipping!" Lloyd followed where Jay's eyes had wandered to and stared at the Black Ninja's body.

Cole groaned tiredly, he sat up and gazed around, his vision all fuzzy. Kai noticed Cole was awake again. Zane snatched up Cole's scythe and hooked it to his back. He whisked out his shuriken and threw it at Cole's garb, pinning one side of him to the snow. Cole tugged and growled.

"Almost, got, it..." Jay sniffed, wiping his face again. With one last chunk taken off, Lloyd feel free from the rocks. He panted wildly.

"Jay, I need my other shurikane," Zane said, keeping Kai a distance away from Cole. The Blue Ninja tossed it back to the Nindroid, standing up but leaning on Lloyd.

Zane fixed his eyes on his friend. Releasing the shurikane, it cut straight through the cool air and pinned Cole's other shoulder, or side. Cole growled.

"None, of you understand how I feel right now! None of you!" He boasted.

The White Ninja ignored that and unhooked Cole's scythe from his back. With one quick swipe, Cole fell unconscious.

* * *

 **So, I decided to update today! Basically because I wanted to try out my new iPad mini. The next updates won't come until later... MWA HA HA! I'm also working on a quick one shot focussed on Jay... With a song!**

 **a note from Leo: hi guys! I really hope you enjoyed the chapter we worked on for you guys! Things are going to get very interesting! Hehehe I am getting jumpy thinking about it! Thank you guys! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Back to Black: Chapter 5**

Minutes pass of pacing and thinking, that is for Kai and Zane. Jay lied in the snow looking at the falling snow while Lloyd stood watching Kai and Zane. Lloyd cleared his throat and their attention was given to Lloyd.

"What are we doing here? Cole could wake up soon and we barely stopped him last time. We have to get out of here." Lloyd said and turned around. Zane and Kai looked at each other.

"But, what about Cole?" Jay said sitting up and moving his hand in the snow.

"He is on the opposite side now." Lloyd crossed his arms and wore a sad face they didn't see.

"He is still our brother and part of our team." Jay said standing and almost falling over. Kai came to his side and grabbed his arm. "I vote Cole comes with us."

"I believe Sensei Wu could help us find a way to bring Cole back. I am with Jay." Zane said and stood by Jay's side. "What about you Kai?"

"I don't know, Cole won't be asleep forever." Kai said looking in Zane's eyes.

"I'm willing to take that risk." Jay said and Zane smiled to Kai. Kai then looked to Lloyd who still had his back to them.

"Then I am too." Kai said and brought Jay's arm around his shoulders.

"As am I." Zane said and went over to Cole as he was still unconscious. Zane drew his arms under Cole's arms and picked up half of him. Things were silent for awhile and Lloyd turned to them.

Lloyd sighed, "Fine." Lloyd ran to Zane's aid.

"You four are back!" Sensei Wu cheered with delight. His eyes fell on Cole. "And you found Cole," he smiled.

None of them answered. Zane and Lloyd quickly marched up to Nya, Cole still in their arms.

"Is something wrong?" Misako asked.

"Uh, yeah! It was more like Cole found us!" Kai put Jay down on a seat and took one himself too. Sensei Wu rubbed his head.

Zane walked in after setting Cole in a bed. "Cole is resting, Nya has taken care to make sure when he does wake up, that he will not harm us." Wu was still confused. "Sensei, we believe that you will be able to help us find the cause of Cole's actions, and tell us how to reverse the effects."

"What - what do you mean, Zane?" Sensei Wu turned to Kai. "Cole found you?"

The Red Ninja nodded, his brows drawing inwards. "Dust found Cole first. He turned him against us... Again!" Kai curled his fingers.

Sensei Wu looked at Jay, whose face looked worse then when he left to search for the body.

Suddenly, the door slammed open and Lloyd stood in its place. "Guys! We need you, quick!"

Everyone rushed to follow Lloyd.

Cole was tossing and turning in the bed, his hands tied down by thick thick ropes.

Nya looked to the new arrives, "He's having a nightmare!" Jay came in late leaning on the wall.

"How can you tell?" Jay asked and everyone looked to the struggling ninja.

"He's still asleep!" Nya shouted making hand gestures to Cole thrashing on the bed. Kai grabbed Jay and helped him.

"What do we do? If we wake him he could attack us." Lloyd asked darting his eyes from Cole and the group near the door.

Everyone broke into arguments and suggestions while Zane was the only pair of eyes watching Cole. The black ninja stopped thrashing in the bed.

"Guys?" Zane asked but no answer came through the ruckus. "Guys!" Everyone grew silent and Zane watched Cole sit up in the bed.

"Yeah Zane?" Kai asked and Zane gestured to the bed. Cole was looking down at the ropes on his hands and tugging at them.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Cole shouted and gritted his teeth. Cole gazed up and his anger rose. "I can't believe you would do this."

The ninja looked at each other then back to Cole pulling roughly at the ropes. The ropes tightened a bit and he growled.

Sensei Wu stared in shock at what had become of his student.

"You think bringing me back with you would fix me?" Cole rolled his eyes, then gave one last pull at the ropes; luckily, they didn't snap. He gazed around the room.

"Heh, I think I liked it better when he was having a nightmare..." Jay teased and stood over by Nya. Cole snapped at Jay.

Zane turned his attention to Misako and Wu. "Now that you've witnessed Cole's actions, do you have any idea of how to reverse the effects?" Zane asked them.

Sensei Wu and Misako met eyes, then they looked back at Zane.

"We, do not know."

* * *

 **Sorry this chapter is shorter. Hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Will Cole be back to normal?**

 **What will happen next?**

 **Stay tuned to find out!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Back to Black: Chapter 6**

Zane was helping Wu and Misako searching for a solution to reverse the effects on Cole. Kai stayed by Jay the whole day and every other day until the Blue Ninja was feeling better. The pillar to the nose not only gave him a bleeding nose, but made him dizzy for a few days. Nya and Lloyd watched over Cole for the next few days until there was a way to fix him.

Nya looked Lloyd in the eyes. "So, what exactly happened back there?" She asked him.

The Green ninja looked away from the sleeping Black ninja. "When we went to search for the body, we found Dust. And... That's when things got out of hand. Soon, Cole came at us, and we knew for sure Dust had gotten into his head again. Once the fight had settled, it was decided that we bring him back here, hoping my uncle had a sense of how to fix this mess." Nya sighed and gazed down at her feet. "I wish Dust was never a problem in the first place. He's done too many things to hurt Cole already..."

Nya nodded, "I know what you mean." She fixed her eyes on Cole. His eyes were shut and he looked calm, just sleeping there. She wanted so badly just to untie the ropes.

"I know, I wish the same too," Lloyd said, as if he were reading her thoughts. Nya faked a genuine smile. "Not just that, but I wish we had our friend back."

Cole's head was rested on its side on his fluffed up pillow. His brows and muscles were relaxed, and he looked fine. Perfectly fine. However, his fists were clenched tightly as if he were ready to fight someone. Lloyd cocked a brow in disappointment and eyed them.

He heard a small whimper.

"Cole's having another nightmare!"

Zane rummaged through all the scrolls, rolls of them leaning over on his right side. Misako and Wu searched through every old, ancient book they could find.

"Nothing yet," Zane told them and set the scroll aside. He picked up another one.

Nya stumbled in the room with barely any breath. She tried to explain something but the words were caught in her throat. Nya had her hands on her knees and Zane dropped the scroll he was looking through and ran to Nya's side.

"Are you alright?" Zane questioned and Nya nodded. She stood straight and took a deep breathe.

"Cole is having another nightmare." Nya spat out with one breathe, "Come on!"

Nya ran out of the room to the one room that contain the tossing and turning Cole. Kai and Jay were already there in the room and Nya ran in with Sensei Wu, Misako and Zane following. Jay knelt beside the bed and cupped his hands over Cole's fist.

"What do you think he's dreaming about?" Jay said and turned his head to everyone.

At first, his dream wasn't too rash on him. He got revenge on his team, and everything was setting out in play. But then, things began to change.

Cole stood in front of all his fallen brothers and family. At the beginning, he was happy, satisfied that the Ninja had payed for what they did to him. Then Dust appeared by his side. Cole's eyes widened at the sight.

His mind was back where it should've been. Which was, not exacting revenge on his friends.

He wasn't who he was before. He had let Dust get into his head again. Causing himself to harm his friends.

"You got revenge. Its what you wanted wasn't it?"

Cole ran over and knelt by Jay who was lying on his side on the ground. Small drops of blood laid by his hand. Cole blinked at Jay's face. He wasn't dead, but he was brutally injured.

"Jay?"

He tried fighting the thoughts that crawled back.

It was a nightmare.

Cole stopped squirming and his muscles began to relax. Jay glanced at Cole's eyes, hoping for them to open.

Surprisingly, they did. The Black Ninja let out a soft groan and gazed around the room, then he remembered that he was tied down.

Cole gasped and sat up. "Guys!" Cole smiled slightly and everyone sighed. Jay stood up and cheered with a wide grin.

"Yay Cole is back to normal!" Jay quickly went to untie the ropes.

"N-no! Don't untie me!" Cole shouted and made fists. The black ninja looked to his family. "Dust is still fighting within me, I can barely hold him off."

Kai walked forward, "Cole what exactly happened?"

Cole looked into Kai eyes with worry of himself hurting others. "At the bottom of the cliff I made it fine but my leg. Dust found me and messed with my head, telling me that you guys left me and didn't need me. I couldn't control my actions since, till now."

Zane stepped to Kai's side, "What has happened to your leg?"

Cole growled softly and gritted his teeth, "I'm fine. I-I landed funny...gahh... I can't control him!"

Lloyd's eyebrows went up and he pushed past Zane and Kai. "Fight him, Cole!" Lloyd bit his tongue.

Cole's head dropped and his breathing was harsh, "I-I can't.." Cole's voice was barely a whisper.

Lloyd made fists, "Yes you can because a ninja never quits!" Everything was quiet for quite a while and only Cole's breathing was heard. Cole looked up but only straight ahead.

Cole never looked to them, "Jay untie me." Cole's voice was hoarse and deeper in a way and Jay didn't step forward. Cole turned to the lightning welder and growled. "I said untie me Jay!" Cole's head slowly shook 'no' and the ninja looked to each other.

* * *

 **Guess I'm just updating.**


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